You don’t need perfect grammar to sound confident; you just need the right phrases and the right attitude.

I know that this has happened to many of you: you open the door, the driver looks at you through the rearview mirror and grunts, “Kuda?” (Where to?). Suddenly, all the Serbian cases you learned vanish from your brain. You stutter, and, unfortunately, driver realizes you’re a tourist.

Let’s look at some typical taxi dialogues—the kind that actually happen in reality.

I am here to give you the simplest phrases possible. So, please, forget about being overly polite. Even better, forget about all those fancy words you have in the back of your mind. The shorter, the better!”

TAKSI SCENARIO (The ride and the small talk in Serbian)

Ja: “Žurim na posao. Treba a da zovem taksi.” (I am in a rush for work. I should call a taxi.)

Operater: Pink taksi, izvolite! (Pink Taxi, how can I help you?)

Ja: Molim vas, jedno vozilo u ulicu Požeška 50. (One vehicle to 50 Požeška Street, please.)

Operater: Sačekajte malo. / Samo trenutak. (…) Za tri minuta broj 55. (Just a moment… In three minutes, vehicle number 55.))

Ja: Hvala. Prijatno! (Thank you. Have a nice day-)

U taksiju (Inside the taxi)

Ja:Dobar dan! (Good afternoon.)

Taksista: Dobar dan. Kuda idemo?/Kuda? (Good afternoon. Where to do we go?)

Ja: Idemo na Dedinje, Bulevar kneza Aleksandra, Američka ambasada. Žurim na posao. (We go to Dedinje, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra, The U.S Embassy. I am in a rush for work.)

Taksista: Dobro… Gužva je, ali nema problema. Radite tamo? (Okay… It’s busy, but no problem. You work there?)

Ja: Da, ja sam diplomatkinja. I moj muž je diplomata. (Yes, I am a diplomat. And my husband is a diplomat as well.)

Taksista: O, to je baš lepo! Da li vam se sviđa ovde? Govorite srpski malo? (O, that’s so nice. Do you like it here? Do you speak Serbian a bit?)

Ja: Da, naravno! Ja radim ovde i radim mnogo! A vi? (Yes, of course! I work here and I work a lot. And you?)

Taksista: Da, i ja radim ovde, ali za vikend idem u Novi Sad zato što moja porodica živi tamo. (Yes, I work here as well, but on weekends I go to Novi Sad beacuse my family lives there.)

Ja: Novi Sad nije blizu. Razumem. Evo, to je Ambasada. Evo, stigli smo. Koliko sam dužna? (Novi Sad is not close. I understand… Here is The Embassy. Ah, here we are. How much do I owe you?)

Taksista: 450 dinara.

Ja: U redu, izvolite. Zadržite kusur. (Okay. Here you go. Keep the change.)

Taksista: Hvala lepo. Doviđenja/Prijatno. (Thank you very much. Have a nice day!)

Ja: Doviđenja! Good bye.

Pro-tips to sound like you know exactly what you’re doing in a taxi

Next time you open a taxi door in Belgrade, take a deep breath and remember: Really, you don’t need a C1 certificate in Serbian to have a smooth ride. Instead, you just need to be direct.

By using short phrases like “Do [lokacija], molim Vas” and ending with a confident “Zadržite kusur,” you aren’t just getting from point A to point B—you are owning the interaction. Here are 5 more phrases to remember:

1. Može karticom? (May I pay with a card)
2. Uključite taksimetar, molim Vas. (Turn on the taximeter, please.)
3. Možemo li najbržim putem? (Can we take the fastest route, please?)
4. Da li imate sitno? (Do you have smaller bills?)
5. Šta da se radi… (What can you do..)

Now, it’s your turn: What’s your biggest “taxi fear” in Serbia? Or, if you’ve already tried taking a taxi here, what is the funniest or craziest thing a driver has ever said to you?

Leave a comment below—I’d love to hear your stories (and help you translate them into perfect street Serbian)!